


All It Cost Was A Limb

by FlamboyantProblematic



Category: Disco Elysium (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Blood and Gore, Cannibalism, Eugene is a vampire, Glen is the werewolf, Hardie Boys doing Hardie things, M/M, Violence, jk hes a hunter, titus is just a DILF as usual
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:08:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26057740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlamboyantProblematic/pseuds/FlamboyantProblematic
Summary: Initial idea from @isaakthesnail on TwitterWerewolf!AU:After a massive werewolf attack, the beasts were driven to the deepest parts of the forest, never to be accepted into society again. A war breaks between humans and supernatural creatures, and a greater one might just be on the brink of breaking out.
Relationships: Glen/Titus Hardie
Kudos: 7





	1. Concepts

****

**Titus concept**

****

**Prosthetic leg concepts**

**Glen Concept**

**Other concepts... Soon... Ish**

Whenever Gaith feels like it 

(Art by @Hardie_boi on twitter)


	2. Prologue

The wind shifted outside, hurrying through the leaves like a panicked child carrying a warning. The aggression in which it blew did not go unnoticed by the hunter in his lodge, located somewhere in the near entrance of the Martinaise forests. Not outside enough to be bothered by the city life, and not too deep inside to be surrounded in danger… or so it was supposed to be.

With haste, the hunter grabbed his rifle and ran outside. The dark was his greatest enemy, and it swallowed him like the waging sea. The grass rustled all around him, the bushes gave cover to the creatures of the night, protecting them from him. This could just be a wild animal, he thought. But he kept his gun close. There were eyes all around him, he could feel them, piercing through the veil of the darkness, staring, observing. Owls? Cats? Or something bigger?

The sound of a branch cracking held his attention and he turned towards the source of the voice, and then there was a snap and a monstrous yelp. One of the traps the hunter had set for protection went off, digging its teeth into the leg of whatever beast hid in the darkness. It was caught, and it knew that. Its cover was blown. That’s when everything went south. They attacked, a pack of wolves, all in different sizes. One of them incredibly large. The hunter shot at it but it was too fast. He knew then that even his cabin couldn’t save him. Even if he went inside and locked the door, they could easily break in. They howled at him, a terrifying sound that ripped through the silence of the forest. They were hungry, and he was their perfect meal.

Another shot was fired, making one of the wolves stagger back, the flash from the shot provided momentary light when the moon failed, and then, the hunter knew he was truly fucked. 

There were at least six or seven of them. The good news is that there was only one Alpha and those are usually the ones that are tough to get rid of. The hunter had his fair share of encounters with werewolves before but they never dared to step this far outside the forest before, and if they did, it would be a stray, a lone wolf or two, never a pack of this size. If this wasn’t all of them, then he dreads the thought of them calling for back up. 

He took a step back and pulled the trigger again, blood splattered out of the wolf as it tried to lung at him mid-air, and then it fell like a rock. This only fueled the rest with more anger. Their jaws snapped at him, all teeth and drool. Their hunger was growing with each passing second. 

They allowed him no other chances, they pounced, knocking the hunter down and pinning him to the ground. Hot breath and saliva fall on his face, and nothing separated him from the beast above but his gun, which he used to push against the monster in hopes of overpowering it and throwing it off. He could see its sharp teeth and twitching lips, its tongue flicked out and licked over its fangs. The starvation was apparent in its glowing yellow eyes. A horrifying yell escaped the hunter as the other wolves clawed at the bits of his body left uncovered by the alpha on top of him. He felt sharp teeth close around his leg, tearing through the skin, muscles, and even bones. He tried to kick the wolves off with his good leg, but he was insignificant in size compared to even the beta of the pack. He could hear it ringing in his ears, the sound of his bones cracking and his nerves giving in. The satisfied munching and tearing of skin from the wolves as they ate at him. He thought he saw death right then.

The pain left behind was immeasurable. He could feel his leg losing life in the form of pouring blood, quenching the wolf’s thirst. Soon enough those fangs will dig into the rest of him, but he refused to surrender. He fired another shot, even if he wasn’t sure if it hit any of the wolves, but he didn’t stop until all the shells were wasted. A few defeated whimpers gave him comfort. At least if he was going down then he will be taking these bastards down with him. There was nothing left but to use his rifle itself as a weapon, no matter how ineffective it was. He tried to swing it at the beast above him while still fending off the others with only his good leg. He was going to eventually pass out from blood loss. His other leg had stopped responding, perhaps it was even detached from his body now but he just failed to feel it. All he could feel was the strong ache above, the pounding of his nerves that were now torn from the rest of his leg. Escape was now not even a thought, let alone an option. Even if he somehow fought off the wolf above him, he would not be able to run on one leg. He was doomed.

Then there was another howl; loud, aggressive, far from anything human. It seemed to have gotten the wolves’ attention. Another alpha? The rest of the pack? Or maybe even another pack willing to fight them for their meal? Oh, The hunter was most certainly fucked now…

It was most likely the latter, the hunter thought, because he could hear snapping fangs, and the smaller wolves in the pack fighting with something just out of sight. Snarling, growling, and soft whimpers from defeated wolves, all of that in the background while the hunter still tried to defend his life. And then finally, the weight is lifted off of him by something he could barely see. It happened so fast. In this small opening of freedom, the hunter made an effort to reload his gun. 

There was no other pack. Only this one large wolf, snapping and biting at the alpha of the other pack, sinking its teeth into its flesh, tearing it off. A cannibal werewolf? 

The beast screamed in pain but there was little it could do to escape the maw of wolf above it, ripping apart at it until the only sound became the tearing of the skin. The smaller wolves, now frightened, ran with their tails tucked between their legs. Their leader was defeated. They stood no chance against this monster. 

Its large claws shred through its prey beneath it. There was nothing left. Then its angry yellow eyes turned to the hunter, who was ready to empty his gun into the beast. But it showed no interest in attacking him, yet, there was a low rumble in its chest as it looked at him. Chunks of meat hung from its jaw and blood stained its fur. It huffed, hot air coming from its nostrils... But it merely stared. 

The adrenaline had worn out now and the hunter was hit with a surge of pain from his wounds. His leg was still bleeding profusely and it was wearing him out quickly. He tried to bear it. Each blink could be his last, and he would die looking at this beast. 

Was it waiting for him to die? It had no problem mutilating the other wolf, why would it wait for him to bleed out. 

Those thoughts became a haze as his mind was overcome with thoughts of pain as well, and soon, there was nothing but sweet oblivion. A gentle darkness that swept over him and brought with it kind silence. He would rather be passed out when the wolf ate at him rather than face seeing and feeling his body get mauled. 

His only regret? Not banging enough people. 

All the sex he's gonna miss out on... god damn wolves.

__________

Heaven is a gentle caress on his cheek that woke him up with the kiss of life. His eyes snapped open and he reached for his weapon that is nowhere to be found. Hell overtakes heaven and his nerves are on fire, sending an alarm to the rest of his body in sudden jolts that made him hiss.

"Guys, he's finally up." The sound is familiar but oh so distant. 

Figures gather above his head and he counts; one, two, three, four, five. Or maybe he's just seeing double. 

"Titus?"

He blinks and gradually everything sinks in. The friendly faces of his mates become clear. They look concerned, but they mask their emotions. The hunter can still see through the little cracks of their masks. 

"What happened?" One of them asks even though the fresh claw scars on the hunter's body should be evident enough. 

"The fuck do you think?" 

"What were you doing in the deep woods late at night?!"

"I wasn't in the deep woods. They just attacked me, in the cabin!"

The five men exchanged glances. "In your cabin?"

One of them rubbed his chin; dark skin, soft-looking eyes, afro hair, sharp cheeks, looked far too young for his age. He was soft-spoken when he talked, "it's unlike them to leave the deep woods, in a pack no less. Too suspicious. Too dangerous."

Another shrugged. The man is in his early forties with balding hair and a funny mustache. His voice was heavier than his companion. "Maybe they were hungry."

"Clearly it wasn't dangerous enough," Titus says. "I got a few of them at least." 

The atmosphere changed in an instant and suddenly the men were cheering. "Atta boy, T!" 

"Yeah..." His voice trailed off and then he remembered... 

His eyes traveled down to what remained of his leg, and it was now dead silent. 

His leg was missing from the knee down, there was just a wrapped up stump. Shit. He didn't want to think of the money he had to pay for treatment... to learn how to walk on crutches... stupid therapy they'll assign him to. Not to mention just how unappealing it looks.

Once again, fuck these wolves for ruining all his future chances of mind-blowing sex. 

"Hey," one of them put a comforting hand on Titus's shoulder. "Angus is working on something to help you, alright? You know we're gonna do what we can, Titus."

A big guy in the corner of the room nods. "I know what I gotta do. Don't worry. You'll be walking again in no time."

Titus nods at him. "Thanks, Angus."

"Besides," a small rat-faced man chimes in. "We got guns. We're gonna hunt the fuckers that did this to you and kill 'em!" 

"Calm down, Shanky. No one is killing anyone yet," The balding man said. "Not to mention, they'll kick your ass."

“Alain is right, they would. But their alpha is dead."

They all turned to look at Titus. "You killed the alpha?"

"No. Another wolf did."

"From the pack?" An old man asked. His voice was calm as he spoke but it was roughened by years of smoking and many life experiences.

"No, Theo. He was this... really big wolf. No pack," it's weird, the hunter thinks... "I think he saved my life."

It was silent for a moment and then Shanky, Angus, and Alain laughed, all heart, no consideration for the people in the neighboring rooms. 

"A wolf? Saved you?" Alain nudged the man next to him. "Hear that, Eugene?"

Eugene looked deep in thought for a moment then looked back at Titus. "Are you sure it was a wolf?"

Titus clicked his tongue. "I'm not fuckin' blind. It looked at me, all bright yellow-eyed, fangs, and shit." 

"The werewolves leaving the deep forest and an alpha with no pack saving a human? The fuck is going on with them?" 

Another pause, as if they were all trying to make sense of the situation. 

"Maybe it's someone you know?" 

Titus shrugged. "Maybe." 

"Someone we know? A werewolf? I think Eugene would have been able to tell."

Eugene nods.

....

"This shit is really weirding me out, man."

"Me too, Alain.”

“This is bad. We don’t want a repeat of last time.”

Last time, referring to the last massive werewolf attack. The reason they were outcasted to the deep forest. Too many people dead. Titus and the rest of his boys remember it clearly. They have the scars to remind them. 

…fuck.

The old man stood up. "Best let Titus get some rest."

He'll need time to recover from this... all of it. 

"We'll be right here if you need us, T. Just call," Alain said. "Anything you need, amigo."

"Thanks."

"We got you some beer," Shanky held up a six-pack. “It's gonna help with the pain." 

A few chuckles filled the room. 

With a final goodbye, they slipped out of the room one by one. 

The room was suddenly way too silent and lonely. The cold was harsher, everything was darker. Titus never liked the silence. At least in the wild, there were always noises; the rain, the shuffling of tree branches, the wildlife, the wind, the lake in the distance.

He cracked open a can of beer and chugged it down. The drink was welcoming and cold against his dry throat. 

His thoughts started seeping in. 

He looked down at the scars now accompanying the big claws on his chest. Usually, women would find this sexy, usually, Titus would wear these as a badge of honor, but there are way too many of them now.

Shit. 

Another can down. 

He looked at his leg. It'll never be the same again. When he moved it, it looked odd. He thought about whether he'll be able to feel normal again or if he'll receive looks of pity from his friends and strangers for the rest of his life.

Titus Hardie is above pity. 

Another empty can. 

How did he get here? Did the wolf bring him here? Why did it save him? Who was it? Could it be someone he knows? But like Alain said, Eugene would have been able to tell if he was in contact with another werewolf. Eugene was a vampire after all, and their kind is natural enemies with werewolves. 

All this thinking was wearing him out. The bed was not the most comfortable thing in the world but it cradled him in its warm embrace, and as he closed his eyes, and as the alcohol settled in, all he could see were the yellow suns, staring down at him. 

They never left.


	3. Chapter 1

"You just strap this on and it should hold. Works like a real leg."

"Except it don't feel like a real leg."

Angus frowned. "I'm sorry, T."

Titus sighed. He knew the big guy was just trying to help. With a friendly smile and a pat on Angus's shoulder, Titus decided... a fake leg is better than no leg. The crutches he had had to use recently were killing him. 

In the corner of the room was a single chair where Theo sat and observed the situation in silence with his arms crossed over his chest. He watched as Titus sat down on the bed and took the metallic leg. It wasn't as heavy as it looked, or perhaps Titus was just strong. Regardless, he pushed the missing part of his leg into his new one and tightened the strap around it until it held on to the stump. It fit perfectly. Angus seemed happy about that. With a click, it was finally on.

"It shouldn't be too heavy to move. Made it out of pretty light stuff." 

"I'm not even gonna ask where you got the 'stuff' from." The two chuckled. 

At first, Titus tried to just swing his leg. Something simple to test the prosthetic out, and it indeed moved with the rest of his leg. Next, he stood up and took a few steps forward. It was odd to feel the metal around his skin, and the pressure it applied when he stepped on the ground. But it wasn't so bad. He just needed to get used to it. 

"Feels weird."

Angus nodded. "I guess it would be. But the more you walk the more natural it'll feel."

"Gotta shake off the rust, huh? Guess I'll go for a jog."

"Maybe start small?"

"Just a walk outside the woods then."

In the corner of the room, Theo grumbled. Angus looked down at his feet. He had something to say, the hunter could feel it. 

"Whatcha thinkin' about, big guy?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, T. Staying in the woods after that..."

"I live here."

"I know, it's just that... maybe you should move someplace else? This might not be the last time the werewolves break habits."

Angus was right. This time he got lucky, next time he might not be. But even then, he was a hunter. The woods were more than just his home. 

"You know I can't just leave." 

The young man nodded. "Just take care, alright? We need you. And Martinaise needs you."

He laughed. "Yeah, who else is gonna get them the wood that keeps them warm during this fuckin' cold." 

"Shanky and Alain are gonna come around soon and help set up some better traps. And Gene too," he gestures vaguely. "You know, as soon as the sun goes down. It gets suspicious if he has to walk around with an umbrella when it's not raining."

And then get hunted by paranoid humans. Everyone is getting hunted these days. Werewolves and vampires got their own little war going on and they'd kill each other on sight. It happened, once upon a time, way long ago. Titus's father, who was also a hunter, told him there was tension between the two creatures, most likely due to them fighting over who gets to eat the humans. In the middle, humans lived blissfully unaware, until the playground squabbles turned into battlefield wars. 

"Also we think you should---"

"Hey," Titus's voice is stern and cut through the middle of Angus's sentence like a sharp knife. "I don't need you lookin' after me. I'm not a kid." 

"We're not looking after you, man. We're looking out for you."

Titus couldn't help but smile at that. He has good friends.

He covered his new leg's foot with a pair of mismatching shoes and then he went outside where the clouds covered the sun, suffocating its light but enough of it seeped through to keep the world illuminated. There was a strange mechanical sound coming from his leg as he moved, the metal and springs bending to emulate a real leg. This was the future, he thought. Half humans half machines. 

The thing was helping him move at least. He had almost forgotten what it was like to walk and not... oddly hop using two sticks. He just hoped that the leg could withstand him running away from wolves if the time ever comes, or rather when the time comes. 

Since it had been a while, it was hard to register the fact that he was walking. It was extremely strange. Not to mention the pressure on the stump was uncomfortable. But it got easier with every step. 

After a walk around the lake near his cabin, the hunter returned to his friends who were already working on the traps. 

"An alarm system," Angus explained as he pointed at some machinery. "You know how some stores have bells over the door to let the keeper know when a customer comes in? Mix that with your usual trap using a thread and a bell and you get this thing. It's a sensor. If any creature passes by here it should give you a heads up."

"That thing will be ringin' all day and night. Lots of animals pass by here."

"Depends," Eugene chimed in. "On their speed and size that is. A werewolf is much faster and larger than just an average animal. For them to trigger the alarm, they'd have to be incredibly quick and big."

"Cool." He nodded. 

"Alain and Shanky are putting up some bear traps. And Theo made sure you got enough bullets to rain hell on them." 

"I think you should expect the worst from now on," the vampire said. "They're clearly smartening up. Or going crazy. I don't know which one is worse."

"How are you feeling, Gene?" An honest question. Maybe there's something in the air making the supernatural creatures go bonkers or something.

"I'm not experiencing any changes if that's what you mean. I feel pretty normal."

"Ish" Titus added. 

"Yeah, normal-ish," he corrected himself. "As normal as it is being a vampire among humans.” 

“No sudden urge to suck out our blood or anythin’?”

Eugene stared blankly at him, obviously offended by the question. He has more self-control than that. 

"No news from your folks about this shit?"

He shrugged. "Guess we'll have to wait and see if this was an isolated case or not. It's not like we're welcomed to live among your people or theirs so you know as much as we do." 

"Dandy." 

Angus handed Titus a radio. “You can hit us up on this if you notice anything out of the ordinary.”

“You guys really thought of everythin’, huh?”

“We learned from the best, captain.”

Titus felt proud of his boys. There wasn’t much when it came to defenses in Martinaise. Other districts rely on the RCM. Martinaise can only rely on itself after being abandoned by the cops. No wonder attacks were more prevalent here than anywhere else. But Titus and his boys do their best to fend off beasts when they can. Not all of them, obviously. They’re not savages. Otherwise, Eugene wouldn’t be among them right now. However, the current situation has torn people apart more than anything. Paranoia made people far too distrustful. Society within Martinaise was a crumbling sham. 

It's fucked, but what can they do except try to survive?

"I'm going to take a look around and do some investigating," Eugene looked at Alain who nodded. "We'll let you know if we find anything."

With that said, the two left. 

The forest was relatively quiet. Nothing odd, nothing that Alain could sense anyway. He looked at his companion, listening intently to the world around him. 

"There was someone here very recently."

"A wolf?"

Eugene nodded. 

"Just one?"

Another nod.

"Could be a scout."

"Maybe. Or it could be that wolf Titus said saved his life."

Alain bit down on the toothpick in his mouth to keep it from falling as he laughed. "Come on, Gene. What? He got a guardian angel wolf?"

Eugene didn't answer. He was far too focused on a set of prints in the snow than anything else. 

"Anyone aside from me wear a size 44?"

Alain rolled the stick between his lips then shook his head. "Don't think so."

"Well, then we at least know something about our mystery wolf," He followed the footprints till they changed shape from a boot to paw prints, then they trailed off into the deeper parts of the forest. "They're new, maybe yesterday. He might come back today."

"We'll be ready for him. It's just one against six of us." 

"No."

"No?" 

"I think we should catch him. If something is going on with the wolves, don't you think we should try to figure it out?"

The balding man scratched the back of his head. "I guess so."

"We should try to set up something here and leave it overnight. We can't be around, he'll get suspicious. They can smell us. Actually, I'll be surprised if he shows up today. He'll know we were here." 

"What do we do?"

"Hope he's as dumb as the rest of them."

They head back to the cabin, covering their tracks as they did. 

"So what? He just stalks me?"

The vampire leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. "Pretty much."

"What the fuck?" 

"He would have eaten you by now if that's what he wanted."

"So the fuck does he want?"

"You'll have to ask him when we catch him tonight.” 

They wait overnight, and waste time drinking, taking turns heading into Martinaise to check on the folks. Just routine. Martinaise is silent this late at night, everyone knew better than to be out at these ungodly hours. 

The only life was huddled up in the hostel, ‘Whirling-In-Rags’ the neon sign read. A few people there were drowning their misery in alcohol, hoping the booze would numb their pain or knock them out, give them a chance to sleep till tomorrow. It was the only way some people in Martinaise could sleep.

This was where the Hardie Boys often spent their time. They wondered now if the wolf had ever been there, if he followed Titus to the woods from there and just continued to stalk him for whatever reason. 

“Set your bets, boys."

The Hardies sat in a circle, each one with a set of cards in hand. The cabin was filled with the smell of smoke and alcohol. 

“Cards”

They tossed their cards onto the table and suddenly the room was alive with the laughter of the victorious and the groans of the defeated. 

“Shit, man.”

“Hey, no sore losers.”

Eugene looked outside through the window. His friends’ voices all melted together to become background noise. “Shh.” He suddenly put his finger to his lips, putting a quick and harsh end to the commotion.

There was a faint sound outside. An animal?

No. 

The vampire stood up, causing all the others to follow. 

“Is it him?”

Eugene honestly didn’t expect the werewolf to show up. He must have known, didn’t he? He knew werewolves were stupid, but they couldn’t possible be this dumb… right?

“Grab your guns.”

The men armed themselves and headed outside into the darkness, this time equipped with flashlights. They could hear the angry growls of the beast trapped in the silver net. It jingled as the wolf struggled within. The chains burned through the fur there was no use trying to bite through it or claw at it. 

“Shit, man. I didn’t really think this would work, to be honest. At least not today. Guns up.”

They all pointed their guns at the net.

“Listen here,” Titus said to the wolf. “We’re gonna let you go. But you try to attack, we will kill you. You try to run away, we will kill you. We killed many like you and we don’t give a shit, got that?”

The beast growled and continued to struggle. 

Titus looked at Eugene who nodded before releasing the net letting the wolf fall to his freedom. When it stood up, it towered over all of them. He was thrice Titus’s size, and Titus was far from being small. When it looked at him, he recognized the yellow orbs… and when it snarled, he remembered those fangs being stained with blood and meat. It threatened them with low rumbles, snapping its jaws at them, but they kept their guns up. This was the first time Titus got a good look at the wolf that possibly saved him. Its fur was different shades of brown, patches of it missing to leave room for scars. By the looks of it, this wolf has gotten into more fights with other wolves than humans. 

The leader of the Hardies lowered his gun and took a step closer to the wolf, it lowered its head to look at him as he approached. 

“Titus? What the fuck are you doing, bro?”

“You got a lot of questions to answer, buddy.”

A huff from the wolf.

“Yeah, well you have no choice. Why don’t you turn back and we can talk over some beers, eh?”

That seemed to have piqued its interest. It hesitates and looks at the other men.

“Lower your guns, boys.”

“Are you fucking insane, T?” Shanky hissed.

“Do it!” It was a command, they obeyed.

He looked back at the wolf. It relaxed, its muscles lost tension. Then it was slowly shrinking, fur retracting, into long blonde hair, yellow eyes turned into blue. The man himself looked mean, even as a human. His expression was stiff, angry. Perhaps still attempting to look threatening. He was still taller than the rest of the Hardie boys, only matching Titus in height. Being a werewolf, he was evidently harrier than natural. 

“Should we get the collar?” Alain asked. The werewolf shot him a confused glare.

“No. I don’t think we’ll be needin’ that, ain’t that right, wolf?”

“Yeah. You said we’ll talk over beers so.” His voice was rougher than Titus expected. He could tell the guy was a heavy smoker.

They went back to the cabin. Titus handed the blonde a beer. “How many others are with you?”

“No one. I don’t got no stupid pack.”

“No pack?” Alain threw his hand up. “This guy is just gonna bullshit us!”

The werewolf slammed his hands against the table. “I ain’t bullshittin’ no one.”

“Okay, you have no pack. Let's say you're an outcast, whatever. So what were you doin’ stalkin’ me?”

“Pft,” He leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest. “I ain’t stalkin’ you.”

Alain opened his mouth to interfere again but Titus shot him a soul piercing glare. It was a very authoritarian look, the “I’m doing the talking here.” Kind of look.

“Did you save me that night?”

No answer. The man just took a sip of his beer.

“Why?”

Nothing. 

Titus snapped his fingers. “Hey. I’m talkin’ to you.”

The wolf merely continued to chug the beer down, then finally, “Why do you got a vampire here?”

“That’s none of your business, wolf.” Eugene’s voice was calm, as always. But there was a layer of instinctive hate in his response. He never really cared about the pity squabble between their kinds but he was still very distrustful of werewolves. 

Titus got up, only to sit up on the table next to their guest. “What’s your name?”

The wolf responded but it was inaudible from the can of beer pressed against his lips. Titus put his hand over the other man’s and shoved it down, causing the wolf to slam his hand and the can against the table at an excruciating speed. The blonde yelled out in pain, what remained of his beer was now wasted. 

“Hey! What the fuck?!”

“I said what’s your name?”

“It’s Glen!" He shook his hand to get rid of the beer that watered his skin. "Fuckin’ waste of good beer.”

Titus nodded. “Glen,” He pointed at himself. “Titus Hardie,” His finger then moved to his friends. “Angus, Theo, Alain, Shanky, and Eugene.”

“Yeah. Alright.”

“You know what we do?”

Glen shrugged. "Hunt or whatever. I don't fuckin' care."

“We hunt fuckers like you but when,” he put his finger between himself and the blonde’s face. “Only when they’re being assholes and attackin' people. Otherwise, we really don’t give a fuck what you’re doin’. We don’t care if you wanna live in Martinaise, and we don’t fuckin’ care if you prefer the forest. We only care about the people and their lives.”

The man rolled his eyes. “We’re predators, the fuck do you want us to do? Eat vegetables?”

“I don’t fuckin’ care as long as you’re not hurtin’ anyone.”

“You know that can’t happen. We gotta eat.”

“You didn’t eat me when you could have.”

The blonde was silent for a moment then shrugged, “I wasn’t hungry.”

“You sure as hell had no problem mauling that other wolf.”

“Yeah, well, that was food enough for me.”

“What? You a cannibal?”

“Don’t be fuckin’ stupid.”

Titus smacked him on the back of the head. 

“Fuck, man.”

“You can leave this cabin today with a bunch of bullet holes, Glen. Or we can be friends.”

“I don’t need friends.”

“You sayin’ you prefer bullets?”

He shook his head furiously. “I didn’t say that!”

“Then friends it is. And I expect my friends to be honest.”

“I—“

He put his finger up again. “Shut up. I’m talkin’,” What the hell is up with this guy, Glen thought. He could just turn into a wolf and fucking eat him right now. “Why were you here yesterday?”

“I wasn’t—“

“You were. I could sense it.”

Another smack on the head from Titus.

“Okay, okay. I was just checkin’ if you were alright.”

"Awfully nice thing for a werewolf to do." Alain mocked in the back of the room.

“It was pretty dangerous, what you did. Going into the city.”

“I know.”

“But you did. You didn’t have to but you did.”

“I get it, okay? I’m a dumb piece of shit. What else is new?” It was merely a mumble. He sank back into his seat. 

It was silent for a while after that, Titus glanced at the others from the corner of his eyes. “Alright, boys. Think it’s time for you to head back into the city. Been a while since someone went.” 

“But T…” Alain began to protest.

“Now, Alain!”

“All of us?”

“All of you.”

Another moment of silence then a sigh, “I hope you know what you’re doing, amigo.” Then the men left.

Titus shoved his hand in his pocket and fished out a pack of cigarettes. “Want one?”

The blonde reached out and took a cigarette for himself, letting Titus light it for him before the hunter took one for himself.

“I know I’m dumb but you know you just made gettin’ out of here easier,” He showed his teeth, sharp, even as a human. “Or I could just kill you.”

“Yeah, if you were gonna do that, you would have done it before.” He exhaled a cloud of smoke. 

“You’re not gonna let that go, huh?”

“Not till I know why you did it.”

There was nothing again, for a long while, but the pause was not awkward, nor was it uncomfortable. 

“Alright. What about what you said about your pack. You really a lone wolf?”

“Yeah.”

"An alpha without a pack. How do you wanna live with people if you can’t even live among your own folks?”

“Who said I wanna live with people?”

Titus snorted. “That’s weird to hear a werewolf say. Isn’t being a pack kind of your thing? Being together with your people?”

“Well, I don’t care about that.” He was just trying to survive. That’s it. He didn’t need anyone but himself.

"So what happened? You ate your own folks too?"

It was a touchy subject, Titus could tell by the way the wolf's lips twitched as if to contain a growl. His blue eyes yellowed, but he kept himself under control. 

"It's none of your fucking business!!" His voice was harsher than usual, deepened by his animalistic counterpart, hiding just beneath the skin. 

"I struck a nerve," The hunter smirked. He shouldn't patronize the wolf but he liked having the upper hand. “You live in the deep forest with the other wolves, right?”

“No. I live somewhere isolated.”

“You don’t want them, they don’t want you.”

“Basically.”

“You get in trouble with other wolves often though?” Glen just looked at him, then took a drag of his cigarette. “You got a lot of scars, claw marks and shit.”

“I get into trouble with everyone. Vampires, humans, werewolves.”

Titus chuckled. “Yeah, you seem like the type of guy.”

He frowned, his eyebrows knotting. “The fuck is that supposed to mean?”

The hunter took his cigarette between his fingers, exhaled, then pointed it at the other man. “This exactly. You’re clearly very aggressive. The way you killed that other alpha. It was merciless.”

“More reasons to fear me.”

“Is that what you really want?”

Glen tapped on the cigar, letting the ashes fall to the ground before putting it back between his lips. His eyes fell to the mechanical leg, a glint of grief passed in his ocean blue eyes but it was quickly carried away by the tides.

Titus followed his eyes regardless. "Oh. This thing?" He moved his prosthetic back and forth. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"I guess if I showed up a bit earlier, it would have been nice too."

Titus shrugged. "I'm not dead so I would say you showed up right on time." 

This was as close to a thank you as one could get from the hunter. 

"Were you checkin' on me that night? Have you been doin' it for long?"

"No," he breathed the smoke out through his nose. "I guess you just got lucky that day."

Titus chuckled. "If you say so," The two put out their cigarettes. "You're free to go."

"Just like that?"

"Yep. Just like that."

The wolf stood up and cautiously made his way to the door, refusing to turn his back to the hunter. 

"See you tomorrow." It sounded casual, like talking to an old friend.

"What makes you sure you will?"

"Like I said, we're friends now."

There was a faint twitch in Glen's lips, a smile that died before it bloomed, and then completely vanished as his teeth sharpened and his fangs became inhuman. His body grew in size, fur covered his skin, his blue eyes became two bright suns. His hands became dark, sharp claws replacing nails. And then finally, he ran off, back into the darkness of the woods. 

The wind howled outside, the tree leaves followed the wolf back home, and then it was silent. He was gone. 

Titus looked back at the cabin. There were empty beer cans and fallen cards everywhere. He sighed, locked the door(as though that was going to stop anything from breaking the door down), and then moved past the trash littered around his humble little 'living room'. He'll get to cleaning it tomorrow. What he made sure to do, though, was put his rifle back in his cabinet, and after that, he decided that was enough for one night. 

The bed was his lighthouse in the storm. His pillow called for his head to rest on it and leave his worries for tomorrow. There was a lot to think about after all. 

He unclipped the straps from his leg and the sound was almost satisfying. It loosened and detached from the stump. He placed it down next to the bed, just within reach. He didn't want to look at the sight of the ghost the machine left behind for too long so he made himself busy taking off his clothes. He stripped down to his boxers and finally answered the siren calls of the pillow. 

When he closed his eyes, he could still hear the low rumbles deep from within the sea's chest, and above him were those familiar yellow suns.

It was going to be another restless night.


	4. Chapter 2

Click

A few taps on the floor to make sure the leg is firmly in place. When he was confident enough with the prosthetic, Titus Hardie grabbed his rifle and put it over his shoulder before leaving the comfort of his cabin. Outside, the snow covered the ground and the grey-ish white clouds crawled by the sun. There was just a vast sea of white beyond all, consuming life.

It was really hard for him to walk in the snow; it made his metallic leg heavier. A reminder that there was no replacing his real leg.

He cursed under his breath as he tried to navigate through the small hills of pure white but eventually he reached the road that took him back to Martinaise. He's going to need to shovel this snow at some point.

The Whirling never got much rest. During the day, guests were occupying the seats, and during the night, it was filled with tired workers looking for a meaning to their lives. It was also the place where the boys could unwind and discuss future plans in peace. Garte, the owner, was well aware of who Eugene was (or rather WHAT he was) and thus gave them an appropriate booth where they could close the doors, keep the sun out and talk business without people questioning why this man is wearing sunglasses indoors.

"How did it go last night?” Alain asked as he stuck a toothpick between his upper and lower teeth, biting down on it.

Titus shrugged as he put his gun down next to the table. "I'm not dead, that's somethin'."

"You let him go?"

"I let him go."

"What if he comes back with his pack?"

"He don't got one."

"Yeah, he said that. Doesn't mean its true,” He pointed at Titus with his toothpick before putting it back in his mouth. "He could be un mentiroso. A liar, compadre."

Titus grabbed picked a strip of bacon from Alain's plate and ate it. "Nope. I think he killed 'em."

"Killed his own family? That's cruel.”

“Yeah. He got pretty iffy when I asked about it."

"He's obviously very dangerous, " Eugene tapped on his glass of warm milk as he stared intently at how the liquid inside rippled with every tap. "We should have killed him when we had the chance."

"Woah, Gene," Titus put a hand up. "We thought you were dangerous too, remember? We didn't kill you."

Silence.

Then, "he's aggressive. He's got a temper. He's not afraid to kill, not humans, not wolves, not anything."

The group nodded.

“We should keep an eye out on him. Keep him on a leash. He might be more helpful than harmful who knows.”

“Sounds risky, T.” Angus said, obviously nervous by this decision.

“If things go south, we kill him. But we have to give him a chance. Remember fellas, we ain’t cops. We don’t shoot first and ask questions later.”

A sigh from the room, but they nodded.

“Did he say if he’ll come back today?”

“He will.” Eugene responded.

“How do you know?”

“He wants something, obviously,” He rubbed his chin with his thumb. “I’m guessing he didn’t tell you why he risked going into the city to save you?”

“Nope.”

“And you don’t recognize him?”

“No. Do any of you?”

They all shook their heads.

“What if it’s really just an act of kindness?”

Eugene snorted mockingly. “You say that after you’ve also seen him tear another wolf to shreds? And didn’t you just say that you think he killed his own pack? Why would he decide to have a change of heart at that moment?”

“I don’t know. Guess I’m pretty irresistible,” Titus chuckled, “Anyway, that’s enough of that. We got other shit to do and even more shit to worry about.”

* * *

They returned to the forest after sunset. A quick inspection of the traps was done, and once the Hardies were satisfied with the condition of their equipment, they retreated into the warmth of the cabin.

“How’s the leg workout going?” Angus asked, giving the prosthetic a quick glance.

“Sucks balls to walk through snow, more so than usual. But the leg does what its supposed to, it didn’t come off and get stuck in the snow which I half expected, to be honest.” Titus leaned down and knocked on the metal a couple of times.

“Does it hurt?”

“Like a bitch.”

The big guy seemed disappointed and even pained by that. “I’ll see if I can do something about that.”

“Nah. It just needs time, Angie. I’m not gonna learn how to live with these in a week. Ask again next month, I’ll let you know if it needs changin’ then.”

“Alright, T.”

The cabin looked just as it did the night before; empty beer cans on the floor. The playing cards still spread on the table. The cigarettes in the ashtray still gave the room a hint of a smokey perfume. But the guys didn’t mind the mess. They paid it very little attention in fact. Hours pass in small talk; sports, girls, work, and planning.

“Right, I got a stack of logs that you guys should carry back to Martinaise.” He pointed to somewhere behind the cabin. “Take what you can. I’ll move the rest tomorrow. You see anyone needin’ any fire, help ‘em out.”

“You got it, boss.”

“Remember, if you need anything, you got the radio to communicate with us.”

Titus waved his hand dismissively. “Yeah, yeah. Now buzz off.”

With that, they left. Eugene paused at the door then looked at Titus from over his shoulder. “He’s here.”

Titus nodded. “Alone?”

“Seems so.”

“Alright. Thanks, Gene.”

“Need someone to stay with you?”

“I said thanks.”

Eugene stayed frozen for a moment but then nodded and left.

There was nothing after that. Titus waited, but his guest never made his presence known. Feeling bored, he decided to get up and actually do some cleaning, picking up the beer cans and the cards, throwing the trash where it’s supposed to go, counting the cards to make sure they’re all there, and then when he lifted his head, for a moment he thought he saw the familiar yellow eyes looking at him through the window… yet there was nothing there but the darkness, eating all that is living and dead.

“I’m takin’ out my gun!” He yelled. A warning to his visitor if he truly was still there.

The bushes outside responded, and so did the leaves on the trees.

The hunter grabbed his gun from beside the cabinet and made sure it was loaded properly before setting it on the table just next to him.

Somewhere in the distance, he could hear the collective howling of wolves, judging by the volume, they were a safe distance away from him. Their cry was merely carried over by the wind. However, it still sent a shiver down the hunter’s spine. When it passed, it left only an uneasy silence, followed by the sound of something scratching on the wood outside.

Once upon a time, this place was peaceful, Hardie could tell he would miss those days. They were now long gone.

“I ain’t gonna warn you again!” Another loud yell that fell on deaf ears.

When the next howl came, he wasn’t sure if it was outside or just in his head, regardless, he kept his hand on his rifle. A growl followed, and it sounded so close that for a moment Titus thought he was the one growling, and then…

A knock on the door.

He answered, and without even considering who the person behind the door was, he hit them with the butt of the rifle.

Almost instantly, he was welcomed with the same aggression, as the wolf behind the door knocked him down to the floor and changed before his very eyes from a human into a beastly creature, much larger than himself.

He swung his gun, slamming the combination of wood and metal against the side of the beast’s face, hoping to knock it off of him but he did not budge. Another hit. The wolf snarled at him but then shrunk somewhat, its features returned to normal, but only halfway. “What the fuck are you doin’?” The rough chainsmoker’s voice was now even heavier, boiling with anger. His half-human, half wolf-ish hands wrapped around the hunter’s throat threateningly, but he did not squeeze hard enough to cut off air.

“Get off me before I shoot you!”

Glen tightened his grip. “I will snap your neck before you even have a chance to pull the trigger, Hardie.”

The two remained locked in a staring contest, neither of them wanting to be the first to back down.

The wind invaded the cabin from the open door and swept over the two. With a kick of his foot, Glen closed it. “I fuckin’ hate the cold. Messes with my appetite, and I’m very…” He stopped to show his fangs before going on, “Very hungry. I bet you taste really fuckin’ good.”

“Jeez. Take me out on a date first before you butter me up, wolf.”

The blonde blinked. His grip loosened and that was all the opening Titus needed to swing with his gun again, this time successfully knocking the bigger man off. Before he had the chance to get up, Titus placed his foot down on the werewolf’s chest and shoved the muzzle of his gun in the space between his eyes.

“What the fuck were you doin’ outside?”

Glen shrugged. “You said see you tomorrow and I thought alright I got nothin’ better to do…”

“So you thought it would be fuckin’ funny to try and scare me?”

He chuckled. “Well, yeah.”

Another hit. It left a cut on the blonde’s face but it healed almost instantly.

“Don’t do it again.”

“Fuck, man. Alright.”

Titus let him go, pulling him up with him as he stood. “Beer?” He opened his fridge and tossed the other man a can.

“Thanks.”

He moved to the table and sat down, Titus joined him.

"I'll be honest, kinda thought you might just disappear. What happened to the lone wolf shit?”

“Would you rather I be here or out eatin’ some dumbass who wandered into the woods just because I’m bored, and because I can?”

Titus thought for a moment while taking a sip of his beer. “Touché”

“Even if I don’t, some other wolf will anyway. You, humans, are starvin’ us out. What do you think will happen when we run out of animals to hunt?”

“You’ll eat each other. Makes our job easier.”

“Not before we come for you.”

“We’ll drive you back into the forest. Just like we did before.”

“I don’t think you understand how dangerous we can be when we’re angry, Hardie. Angry and hungry.”

The two synchronized in their movement, taking a chug of their beers.

“What do you suggest we do then? We can’t let you eat us, and you don’t want to starve out.”

The blonde laughed bitterly. “Do? It’s just fuckin’ nature, man. You’re predators, we’re predators. You’re below us on the food chain. This ain’t different than you killin’ other animals to eat ‘em. It ain’t personal. It’s just survival,” He looked at the other man, a mischievous glare in his eyes. “Even now, you have no idea how hard it is for me to not just pounce on you and eat you. You’d be the best fuckin’ thing I ever had."

“Yeah, well, being shot dead is a good motivation to keep your shit in check.”

“What’s keepin’ me from comin’ back while you sleep?”

Titus shrugged. “I don’t know. What is keepin’ you?”

Another sip of beer as they stared at one another. Despite what it seemed, Titus was actually curious to know why the beast never attacked him while he was vulnerable.

“Really, who are you? Do I know you? Did we play sports together?”

“I used to play. Not anymore, of course. But no.”

“Rugby?”

The blonde nodded.

“Maybe we can play together sometimes then.”

Glen laughed again, this time it was much softer and less hateful. “Like friends?”

Titus joined him, their cackles mixing together. “Yeah, like friends.”

“Even though I just admitted that I want to eat you?”

“Sure.”

“Sounds cool and all, but that breaks the whole ‘lone wolf’ thing I got goin’.”

“You’re here now, aren't you? Think it’s already ruined.”

Another joined chuckle, then it was silent. Glen looked at his beer can, a sudden look of anguish passed his features. “I should get goin’ soon.”

“Why? It’s not that late yet.”

“ ‘Cause I can control hunger. But starvation? That’s another thing.”

“I got some meat in the fridge. It’s a deer. You can have it.”

“It’s not…” The blonde rubbed the side of his head with three fingers. “It’s not gonna work.”

“What? You gotta have fresh meat?”

“It’s not like that.”

“An explanation would be nice.”

“I like huntin’, I’m sure you know what that’s like. Chasin’ your prey, capturin’ them. The hunt makes it better.” Titus could tell by the shift in Glen’s voice that he got some sort of sick enjoyment from hunting. In that aspect, Titus could not relate. He was not that much of an animal. His father was a hunter before him, and he taught Titus to kill only when necessary. Hunting was not a game for pleasure or fun. It was, like Glen said, for survival. Was Titus a prey right now? Was Glen just stalking him like a predator stalks its victim? That still doesn’t answer why he would save him, or why he never attacked him in his sleep or while his guard was down. What was he waiting for?

“You’re kinda fucked up, ain't you?”

Glen tilted his head. His expression was indifferent.

“You’ve been on your own way too long, Glen. You forgot what it’s like to be normal.”

“I’m normal, just not human normal.”

“Aren’t you technically half-human?”

“You think it’s easy. But you wouldn’t know what it’s like until you feel it.”

“You know, Eugene used to say shit like that.”

“It’s different. Vampires just need blood. They don’t need to kill to survive.”

“How do we trust them not to? It’s a risk. But I trust Eugene.”

Glen arched an eyebrow, “And how does he live?”

Titus shrugged. “Mostly off of our blood,” He rolled up his sleeve to expose some scars on his wrist. “We cut ourselves and pour our blood into a cup. He takes only what he needs. We make sure of it.”

“You can’t offer me the same thing though, can you. You can’t fuckin' offer to let me eat bits of you,” He looked down Titus’s leg then back into his hazel eyes. “You can barely walk on one leg. Will you let me eat the other? Or maybe even sacrifice someone for me to eat every time I get hungry? You can’t. It don’t work the same.”

“Doesn’t mean we can’t find a solution.”

Another bitter laugh. “And then? You expect people to just welcome us among them?” He rolled his eyes. “And I thought I was a dumbass. You’re the entire fuckin’ circus ain’t ya?”

Titus stood up, reached out, and smacked the side of Glen’s head. “You really need friends. And to get laid.”

Glen narrowed his eyes at the other man.

“You guys go into like,” he waves snapped his fingers, trying to fish in his mind for the right words. “Heat and shit, right?”

“Mostly females, but yeah.”

“When was the last time you—“

“None of your business! Why do you care where my dick has been? You queer or somethin’?”

Titus tilted his head like a confused puppy, then his confused expression turned into a playful one. “That’s another nerve struck, I see,” he played with his can, twirling it around before taking a sip.”Nothin’ wrong with bein’ queer, by the way. Just so we put that out there.”

The blonde said nothing. He was too busy finishing his can.

The silence stretched on for a while, the only sound came from the table as Titus lifted his leg to rest on top of the wooden surface. He detached the prosthetic from the stump and put it beside him, rubbing the end of his leg to soothe it.

“You shouldn’t dangle your meat in front of me.”

Titus snickered. “Never say “dangle your meat.” To me again.”

Glen huffed. “You know what I mean!”

“I know what you mean but it still sounds funny, besides, look at this little thing,” he patted his leg. “This would just be a snack to you.”

“I take what I can get,” A playful growl. “Looks like it hurts like hell though.”

The hunter shrugged. “Just need to let my leg breathe,” After a bit more rubbing, he lowered his leg. “You know,” Titus scratched his jaw. “If you just wax or shave all that extra hair off. You might just pass for a normal human. You can go to the city.”

“You would trust me to do that, not lose my shit, and eat everyone?”

“I’m just sayin’ you can. If you know where the Whirling-in-Rags is, that’s where you can find me and the guys. Just talk to the dude at the counter, Lawrence Garte. Tell him you’re with me.”

“What if he figures out that I'm a werewolf?”

Titus leaned in across the table then pointed to himself then at Glen, back and forth a few times. “Between you and me, I think Garte is a cryptid.”

“A cryptid.”

He nodded. “Yeah. I swear people have been tellin' me stories about how they've seen him in more than one place at once. It’s weird as fuck. But I think that gives him a soft spot for other creatures like you.”

“Humans really are are dumb, huh? Your vampire buddy say anything’ about that?”

Titus smacked him on the head again, the wolf flinched. “No. Nothin’ but it don’t mean he’s not a cryptid.”

“Maybe you’re just gettin’ paranoid, Hardie.” He rubbed the spot where Titus struck him multiple times.

“Would you blame me? I almost got eaten alive by a bunch of werewolves and they ripped my leg off.”

Glen shrugged. "This ain't your first rodeo with our kind. You should know by now we're assholes." He pointed to the scar on Titus's chest, peeking from under his red plaid patterned shirt. Three long scratch marks from the sharp claws of what seemed to be a beta wolf.

"Yeah. Got tons of those. I would show you the rest but I'd have to get butt naked and it's really cold."

There was a split moment of nothingness as Glen looked at the other man with hunger. Maybe it was time for him to leave. His beer can was empty anyway.

"Thanks for the beer. If this was enough to help with this damn hunger, I'd drink a mountain of them."

"Yeah, werewolves don't get drunk, right?"

"Not really."

"I'm glad I'm not a werewolf then. Gettin' wasted fuckin' rules."

"Helps a man sleep at night."

Titus pointed at him with a finger gun and winked. "Exactly. Why don't you drop by early tomorrow? Hang with the boys. You don't have to worry about them, they don't bite," he waved his hand. "No pun intended for Eugene."

"I'll think about it."

"Tch, yeah. Gotta check your busy werewolf schedule."

With two fingers to his forehead, Glen waved goodbye and walked backwards to the door.

Titus couldn’t help but laugh at that. Humans are paranoid of werewolves and werewolves paranoid of humans. “I’m not gonna shoot you.” He said into his beer can before finishing it up.

The blonde left, once again leaving Titus to pick up the empty cans.

The crickets outside were suddenly way too loud. Titus grabbed his gun and was about to put it in his cabin before the door slammed open.

“Stay inside.” The wolf hissed. He was now in his half human, half wolf form, having to kneel down just to be able to get his head through the door.

“What’s up?”

“Wolves.”

The hunter jumped up, almost tripping as he did. He quickly grabbed his prosthetic and put it on  
That's when he heard the sensors on Angus's little device go off. “How many?”

Glen lifted his head out of the doorway for a moment. “Six? Seven?”

“Might be the rest of that pack coming back for revenge.”

The wolf’s yellow eyes narrowed as he smirked, fangs ready to rip into some poor wolf’s body. “Good thing I’m here then, ain’t it,” The hunter picked up his gun again, searching the cabinet for his flashlight. “Where the fuck do you think you’re goin’?”

“This is my cabin. I do the defending.”

“Are you fuckin’ nuts? They’ll have your other leg.”

“If it’s the same pack then the real threat is gone.”

“You know a pack can have two alphas, right?”

Titus shrugged. “Whatever. It’s my home. I make the rules.”

Glen sighed and rolled his eyes. “Whatever, it’s your death-wish.” And then he poked his head out, fully transformed, and vanished from the doorway. Titus followed.

The moon gave the world around them little light, but it was often covered by the passing clouds, engulfing them in pitch-black darkness. Titus could see the bright yellow eyes shining in the dark next to him. He turned on his flashlight and pointed it towards where they were looking. The trees sent the two a warning as they rustled, and then the wolves pounced in a coordinated group. Titus shot one mid-air then pulled back on the fore-end before firing another. (Which was easier said than done while holding the flashlight) Meanwhile, Glen rushed the biggest wolf in the pack, knocking down any of the smaller ones that tried to get in his way, like a prop on the rugby field, and if he could help it, he stomped on their heads before lunging at the big wolf.

The two rolled on the ground, howling and growling at one another, claws swinging, teeth chomping. Another pair hopped over them and ran towards the hunter who was reloading after having emptied his magazine on another wolf. (Can’t be too sure that those bastards are dead)

He managed to fire a single round, knocking one of the two wolves down while the other lunged at him. He turned his gun and swung the stock like a baseball bat, slamming it against the werewolf’s head with so much force that it caused the wood to chip. The wolf fell to the snowy ground beneath but it didn’t take long for it to shake the daze off and go in for another attack, by then the hunter had turned his gun around and pulled the trigger.

The first wolf gets up, with only a wound to its shoulder that was slowly healing. Titus pulled on the fore-end again, aimed at the head, and pulled the trigger. The beast dodged, another shot, it moved out of the way, another pull until it was too close to him and with a swing of its dangerous claws, it knocked the gun and flashlight out of the hunter’s hands but before it could go in for the kill, a large object was thrown at it, knocking it down. Glen had flung the alpha at it, and as he dashed past the hunter to the other wolves, he lifted his claws, and swung at them on his way down, tearing through the smaller wolf’s skin while pinning the other with his weight. He bit the alpha on the neck, tearing the fur and skin off before doing the same with the other side. The beast yelled in pain but was silenced after the final bite to the middle of its neck, with a push from his big paws, Glen detached the head from the wolf’s body. He didn’t stop then, he kept tearing at the two wolves until they were completely dismembered. He ate at them, like a predator at its prey, cutting through them as though they were rabbits and not wolves.

Titus grabbed his flashlight, and though the sound was enough to paint a perfect image into his mind, he pointed the light at the scene before him, watching chunks of meat fall from the gigantic beast’s jaws, and blood drip down his teeth. Titus did not want to see the insides and guts of werewolves this closely before but now he couldn’t look away. It was like watching a train wreck.

“Jesus Christ, Glen…”

The beast was too occupied with its meal to care what the insignificant hunter had to say or what he thought. Until he was satisfied, there was no stopping him.

Titus turned the light to the forest, checking around them to make sure there were no more wolves. On the floor was a bleeding human, one of them had turned back. Titus did not recognize the man. He grabbed his gun and pulled the trigger. If they didn’t kill them, they would just heal and come back another day.

By the time Glen was done, Titus had moved some of the bodies away from his cabin. The white snow was now a sea of red when the sun comes, it’ll be witness to what happened here when his friends arrive.

“Move your trash away from my cabin.” He said as he passed the wolf. Glen huffed but picked up what remained from the corpses and dumped them with the rest of the bodies.

The sun was slowly crawling its way up the sky, giving the two little light as they returned to the cabin.

There was an awkward heavy silence between the hunter and the wolf as he transformed back into a human. He wiped the blood with the back of his hand but he still looked grotesque.

“You’re welcome, by the way.” Glen finally broke the silence.

Titus was busy inspecting his gun, between the beating it took now, and earlier when Glen attacked him, this gun was in no shape to be a hunter’s gun. It was time for it to retire. He set it down next to the cabinet then opened the two wooden doors to reveal some more hunting gear. Snipers, pistols, and a replica of his shotgun. There was also a hunting knife and even some explosives.

Glen whistled as he eyed the equipment. “Nice stash.”

“This isn’t even half of it,” Titus responded with a chuckle. He took the shotgun and made sure it was in good condition.

“Guess you got silver to spare, huh?”

The blonde was met with the barrel of the gun at that question, Titus pulled back the fore-end. The wolf lifted his blue eyes to look at the man behind the gun. He had a somewhat playful look on his face, the werewolf mirrored it, his teeth were stained red with blood. The two stared at each other for a moment and then Hardie lowered the gun.

“That was some fucked up shit you did.”

“The good news is I’m not hungry anymore.”

“Yeah?”

The werewolf inhaled and for a moment he looked a little intoxicated by the smell. “Maybe a little.” He licked over his lips, all he could taste was blood.

“Bet I just taste like cheap beer.”

“Mmm. I like beer,” The two chuckled. “Guess it’s too late for you to get some sleep, eh?”

“You gonna watch over me like some guardian wolf?”

"Seems like its been my job the past few days.”

Another chuckle.

“I still think you’re pretty fucked up.”

“Yeah, well, we can’t all be privileged humans.”

“Do you wanna go into Martinaise with me?”

Glen blinked. “Why would you ask somethin’ so fuckin’ dumb?”

“I’ll get you a really juicy steak!”

The blue-eyed man scratched his cheek. “That does sound very temptin’. What about the humans? You ain’t scared I’mma lose it and eat ‘em? You gotta know that it’s hard with just you, imagine a city full of humans. The juicy steak will be nothin’ then.”

“Think of it as a diet.”

“People are gonna know I’m a werewolf. Look at me.” He pointed to the hair on his face.

“Shave.” Titus pointed to a room, probably the bathroom.

A pause… the blonde really thought about it but then shook his head. “Maybe some other day.”

“Not ready yet, huh? Alright.” He nodded. “But I’m sure I’ll see you later.”

The werewolf shrugged. “I guess.”

“Nah, I’m pretty sure of it. You can still help yourself to that deer I offered earlier.” He leaned down to adjust his metallic leg before slinging his gun over his shoulder.

“Might sleep in your bed too.”

“Well, don’t get your fur all over it. Don’t wanna be sneezing all night. Beer in the fridge. Don’t drink it all.”

“Bring some more from the store then.”

“Pay for it.”

“I did. When I didn’t let the other wolves eat you.”

Titus snorted. “Fine, you asshole. Beer is on me this time.” And with that, Hardie was off, leaving basically a stranger in his cabin, sleeping in his bed, eating his food, and drinking his beer.

He better not come back to find that the wolf had trashed the place, otherwise, he would gut him with the hunting knife.

Fucking hell.


	5. Chapter 3

"You got attacked? Again?"

"Was it the same pack?"

"Hard to tell."

"And the other werewolf just happen to be there?"

"No. He was there way earlier. Guess he’s stayin’ over too.”

“At your place? Where you keep your guns and shit?”

“Relax.”

“I think you’re giving him way too much trust, T.”

“He did help me out, twice.”

“You don’t know what he’s up to. You don’t know if he goes back to the forest and reports to someone.”

Titus took the cigarette from out of his mouth, glanced at the fading light at the tip, then tapped on the back of it to drop the ashes. “Now why would he do that?”

“I don’t know, man. Something just doesn’t feel right.” Alain shook his head, bitting down harshly on the toothpick between his lips.

“Yeah, well, I’m the boss and I say y’all need to calm your tits,” He inhaled the smoke from the cigarette. “Besides, like he said, if he wanted to eat me he would have done so by now. He likes the taste of cheap beer,” A chuckle from the room.

“What, he a fa* or somethin’?” Shanky said which earned him an ugly glare from Titus, his eyes beaming even despite how narrow they were, and the shadow cast by his cap.

“Thought we agreed we don’t use that fuckin’ word.”

Shanky sank back in his chair. The air around them changed, becoming thick with tension. “Slipped,” A pause then. “Sorry.”

"Well it better not fuckin' happen again," Titus’s expression softened. “Now then, how we lookin’, boys? Anythin’ new to report?”

“Some minor problems, we took care of it.” Alain said.

Another chest full of smoke. “What problems?”

They all turned to look at Angus, Titus followed their gaze. The man shrunk and looked down at his plate. “Well, just some surveillance issues. Cameras got fucked by the snow, we lost one but I managed to put up a different one.”

“Also had a problem with some residents. Bar fight.”

“So just the typical shit?”

“Yeah. Pretty much.”

“Any other sort of complaints?”

“None of the supernatural kind. Though we did get someone saying they suspect a vampire living a little bit on the outskirts of Martinaise.”

Titus put out his cigarette and washed down the taste of ashes with water. “Anyone checked it out?”

“Not yet.”

“Eugene?”

The vampire shrugged. “Not anyone I know.”

“Well then someone should check it out."

“I’ll go with Eugene later.” Alain took the toothpick out, pointed at Eugene then stuck it back in-between his teeth. The dark-skinned man nodded at him.

“Now would be nice.”

“Now now?”

Titus rolled his eyes. “No, tomorrow now. Get up. If it’s nothin’ you’ll be back before we’re gone. Besides, if there’s a vampire there, you’d wanna catch them before sundown."

Eugene stood up. Alain sighed and then followed, picking up Eugene’s umbrella from next to the table. Luckily it was raining cats and dogs outside, the umbrella was excusable. As they walked out, he opened it and put it over the vampire’s head. The rain pitter-pattered over the surface and their shoes splashed through the water. Alain shoved his free hand in his pocket to keep it warm. The air was harsh, but it wasn’t something they weren’t used to here in Martinaise.

“Do you ever think about what people would do if they found out?”

Eugene looked at Alain from the corner of his eyes. “They would burn me and then burn you guys for letting a vampire in.”

“After all you’ve done.”

“All we've done," he corrected. "Yeah.”

"Ungrateful bastards," he chewed on the toothpick before adding, "how do you think they’d react now if we got this werewolf with us?”

It was silent for a moment as Eugene thought. “I think we can worry about that if it happens."

"When, you mean. When it happens."

A soft laugh escaped the vampire's lips, the other man couldn't help but look at him to see what was so funny. "Do you trust me, Alain?"

Alain blinked, clearly taken aback by the question. "Of course I do, Gene."

"How do you know that I'm not just going to kill you now?"

"Because we are Hardie Boys. We do not betray familia. It's our code."

He shrugged. "Maybe that means nothing to me."

Alain rubbed the back of his head. "Well, you haven't killed me."

"And that wolf hasn't killed any of us... Yet. You don't know what could happen when we get hungry. I don't trust that wolf either, but I can relate to how he feels."

Alain couldn't respond, not because he had nothing to say, but because it was simply not his place to say how Eugene should or shouldn't feel.

"You all taste different, do you know that?" Alain shook his head. "Shanky tastes like shit. That's why I'd rather not have his blood. Angus is good for extreme hunger. Theo's is a little bland and cold. I'd say you and Titus taste the best."

The other man laughed, a smile ghosted over Eugene's lips as well. "What do I taste like?"

"There's a lot of spice and flavor if that makes sense."

"Really? All I taste is metal"

"I imagine if humans could taste their own blood, some might get addicted."

"I guess so. I'm glad I can't then."

They found the house to the far north of Martinaise. Old, abandoned, not totally broken but still uninhabitable. The roof had bits of it broken, the windows were smashed. That should have been sign enough that a vampire was not living here. No curtains to shield them from the sun?

"Well?" Alain followed Eugene as he stepped closer to the house, making sure to keep the umbrella over his head.

"I don't sense anything. Maybe it was just a false alarm."

The cracked roof provided them with some light as they entered the house. The balding man handed the umbrella to his companion before he examined a cabinet that was in the hallway. Once upon a time, it might have held some plates or trophies. Now it gathered nothing but dust. Whoever lived here left a long time ago. "I'm gonna take a look upstairs. If you sense anything let me know."

Eugene nodded and went into one of the rooms downstairs as the other man made his way up the stairs. The rooms were incredibly dusty, the only thing living were the rats in the walls. There were torn up photos, their colors lost to time. The wood creaked beneath his feet as he walked. There was nothing here.

Nothing in the next room. 

Nothing in the room after. Only rubble. 

Alain came down and shrugged. "Just some bugs and lots of dust."

Eugene nodded.

"Vamonos. We should report back before they finish up all the beer."

"Cut back on the drinking. You know I don't like the taste of beer in your blood."

"You just don't wanna get drunk."

"That too"

The two laughed softly.

When they left the house, it had stopped raining. Before they left, they heard a noise behind them. Instinctively, Alain pulled his gun out from under his coat and pointed it at the direction of the sound.

“If there’s someone there, show yourself.”

No answer.

“Might just be an animal. I still don’t feel anything.”

Alain waited for a moment before lowering his gun. “I guess.”

They waited… and when there was nothing, they left. 

When they returned to the Whirling, they saw Titus and the others waiting for them outside. 

“Anythin’?”

The two shook their heads. “Just some animals. House is old and broken. No curtains. Definitely not a vampire.”

“Werewolf?”

“Probably not. I didn’t sense anything,”

Titus nodded. “We’ll get someone to keep watch there. Eugene, you can go back to the cabin. We’ll be right there. Just gotta do the usual rounds.”

The vampire nodded and they went their separate ways.

When Eugene returned to the cabin, he could sense the presence of the little big guest inside. He opened the door, and there the wolf was, devouring whatever meat Titus had in his freezer. 

“You’re still here?”

The wolf looked up at him then back down at his plate, there was a subtle change in his expression. 

Eugene pulled up a chair and sat in front of him, watching the beast feast on the meat, tearing it apart with his teeth.

"Titus doesn't just let anyone in here, you know? Only his Hardie Boys."

"Hardie boys?" He snorted. "That's what he calls you?"

He nodded.

"What a dumb fuckin' name."

"He wants us to feel like we are a family. Regardless of what and who we are. We're all his brothers," the vampire waved his hand. "Or so he says."

"Even you?"

"Even me."

Glen lifted his head again, looking at the vampire with a puzzled expression. "What are you doin' with a bunch of humans anyway?"

"I'll tell you as much as you tell me. It's only fair," the werewolf did not like that. "Well, I told you something, you should tell me something."

The wolf chewed on his meal then washed it down with some beer before wiping his mouth. "What?"

"Who are you? Really?"

Glen shrugged. "Just a lone wolf tryin'a survive. You know my name already. I don't really got much else to say."

"Okay. Well, I'm with Titus because I believe in his cause, as dumb as it sounds."

Glen snickered. "It does sound pretty fuckin' dumb."

Eugene ignored the mocking tone of the wolf's voice and went on, "I think his heart is in the right place. He's got dedicated people working with him too."

"He hunts people like you and me."

"He does. But only if they pick a fight first."

"They offer you their blood but feedin' one vampire ain't like feedin' an entire hoard of 'em."

"You're right. But it doesn't mean there's no middle ground," the wolf was not convinced. "You haven't eaten Titus. But you really want to."

"Of course I do. Don't you want to just drink their blood too?"

"I do."

"What's stoppin' ya?"

Eugene rubbed the side of his head. "You're really dense, huh? But you never told us why you saved Titus and why you've never eaten him. Maybe," Eugene tapped on his chin. "Just maybe, you find him interesting enough to keep alive."

Glen chuckled. "Maybe. Maybe I just wanna see where this shitshow goes."

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested either."

"It don't get easy, right? Bein' around humans and not bein' able to have 'em?" He closed his eyes and sniffed, taking in the smell of the air around him. "Especially when they smell so fuckin good." When he opened his eyes, they were no longer the blue seas, but they were the burning sun. 

The doors opened. Men came in laughing, their voices booming in the cabin. In the middle of them was Titus Hardie. 

"Oh hey. You helped yourself to that deer I see," 

Eugene kept his gaze fixed on the wolf as his eyes changed again in a blink. "You and Gene playin' nice?"

The two exchanged glances. "We didn't kill each other. That's something."

Titus patted Eugene on the shoulder. "I know you're better than that." He wouldn't have sent him back to the cabin when he knew there was a possibility that Glen was there if he didn't trust Eugene to behave. "Hey, clean that shit up when you're done," he pointed at the plate. "Gettin' tired of pickin' up after you lot." He opened the fridge and restocked it with beer. Not like there was much in there to begin with. It was 90% just beer. 

By night time, the group had set up a bunch of plastic cups, lining them up. Each cup had a paper in it, in the paper was a challenge. The objective of the game they had made was they would take turns tossing a ball. If they miss the shot, they lose points. If they score, they have to open the paper inside the cup the ball landed in and do whatever the paper said. 

Easy. 

Or at least it started easy before everyone (minus Eugene) got wasted. 

The cabin had not had a moment of peace for hours as the men laughed like the old drunk idiots that they were. 

"Alright," Eugene put Alain's arm around his shoulders. "I'm taking Alain home. That's enough for one night." 

The other man whined but was too drunk to really protest. He looked at his partner with a hazy look, his eyes were very unfocused. "Hello vampire man," Eugene rolled his eyes. "You look badass." 

"Thanks." A definite sign that Alain had enough for the day. 

The two left with Alain mumbling drunken compliments at his companion. Theo followed, and soon, so did Shanky. He was feeling a little uncomfortable sharing a room with a wolf without a large crowd. 

"They left me with the fat one," Glen ran his tongue over his teeth. "Nice." A smack to his head from Titus. 

"Fuck you, man. Angie is all muscles. He could bash your head in if he wanted to. Ain't that right, Angie?"

The big guy shrugged, seemingly nervous. "I don't know, T."

"Of course I'm right. Anyway," Titus put his leg up, the metal hit the wooden table with a thud. "Angie here is the one who made this thing." He tapped on the metal. 

"Fuckin' nerd," Another smack, the blonde growled and rubbed his head. "Okay you have to stop doin' that." 

"Then stop sayin' dumb shit." 

"Next time I'll bite your hand off. See if he can make you a new hand." 

Angus gulped but the two laughed as if it were some inside joke. 

"You gonna be alright, T?" The youngest Hardie asked as he stood up. It was getting incredibly late. 

"Yeah. Don't worry. I got this."

He glanced at the wolf before nodding and saying his goodnights, then taking his leave. 

"Fun bunch."

Titus grinned. "Best group of folks you'll ever have the pleasure of knowin'."

The two cleaned up, putting the empty cans and cups into a trash bag. 

"So what did you do while I was gone?"

Glen brought a hand up to his mouth, using the nail on his pinky finger to take out a piece of meat stuck between his teeth. "I slept a bit and then I looked through your shit. Got my fur all over your clothes and bed. Gotta claim my territory." 

Titus blinked. He wants sure if the wolf was bullshitting him or not because that definetly sounds like something he would do. He dropped the bag in his hand and went to his room to check. The bed was certainly used. He opened his cabinet. No fur on his clothes. He could hear the blonde laugh from outside. 

"Relax. I was just kiddin'. Not about the bed though, the bed probably has some fur or hair on it."

And it's gonna smell like wild wolves too. 

Eh. 

"As long as you didn't masturbate or fuck any other wolves on my bed," That killed Glen's laughter instantly. Titus stepped closer to the bed. "Tell me you didn't."

The wolf busted in. "I didn't, okay?!" He looked flustered, his blonde hair a mess, like he just came out of a fight. 

Titus arched a brow and smirked, patting the bed, causing the fur to bounce off. "Next time, shower before you sleep on my bed."

"Fine." he leaned against the doorway and crossed his arms over his chest. 

If the wolf had to be honest, and he would rather not be, it was actually not a comfortable sleep at all. Not because the bed was too small or it was cold outside. But smelling his prey all around him was... making it hard for him to sleep. It was making a lot of things hard (If you catch my drift.). Regardless, after a lot of struggle, he managed to take a nap. 

"What?"

The blonde snapped out of his thoughts. "Huh?"

"You were lookin' at me with that... look. You can't be hungry again already."

"No. I'm not. It's just," he sniffed. "You smell good. It's gonna make me hungry."

Hardie shrugged. "What? You like... get turned on by the smell of your prey?"

The color drained from the wolf's face again. "N-no! It's not like that... It's... I..." He struggled for words, his simple brain couldn't really function under this heat. "Its not like that." He said again. Frankly, Titus found this hilarious. He stepped closer to Glen who was doing his best to keep his composure, but the closer Titus got the clearer the cracks on his mask became. He was sweating but kept watching his prey approach until Titus was standing right in front of him.

"Don't do that."

"Do what?"

Glen growled. Titus could see his fangs sharpening, his eyes slightly changing in color. The hair on the side of his face growing.

"You're not just hungry, are you?"

"Stop that." His voice was changing, becoming deeper to an almost inhuman level. Titus only smiled, and the air was knocked out of him when the half man half wolf slammed him against the wall. "I said stop!" It was a vicious howl. They glared at one another then the wolf turned away. In an instant, he was out the door and vanished into the woods, leaving Titus to put together the pieces of what had just happened.

* * *

"It was weird. I think he's attracted to my scent."

"Attracted to your scent? Isn't every predator attracted to its prey's scent?"

"Yeah, Alain. But not all of you smell the same, just like all of you don't taste the same. Some scents are stronger than others to certain species. It’s like having a favorite type of food."

"Okay. So what does this mean?"

"It means we have a better idea of why he hasn't eaten Titus."

"Because he's attracted to him?"

"You can put it that way, yes.”

Shanky’s laughter echoed in the room. “That fa—“ he stopped himself when he looked at Titus, impatiently tapping on the table. He cleared his throat and went on, “that wolf wants to fuck Titus?”

“I never said he wants to fuck.” Eugene said. “I just said he’s attracted to Titus’s scent.”

“So he wants to fuck.”

Eugene rolled his eyes. “Yes, Shanky. He wants to fuck.”

Titus rubbed his jaw. “Well, this is a strange turn of events, ain’t it? Never knew werewolves could be attracted to humans.”

“They can be, and they can be attracted to vampires or any other species. Just like vampires can also be attracted to humans, werewolves, and other species.”

“Alright… “ Alain rubbed the back of his head, “Titus? What should we do?”

“Do?” The man chuckled then took a sip of his drink. “Nothin’. I’m gonna talk to him about it.”

“I don’t know why we don’t just kill him.”

Eugene glanced at Shanky from the corner of his eyes, his lips twitching in disgust. Shanky was an asshole to the vampire for a long time, even though they were over it by now, this was bringing back memories of some very sour interactions. The man was a piece of shit. No wonder he also tasted like one. 

“You should know that this is something he didn’t choose, nor is it something he can control. You know what he’s doing about it? Not being a fucking asshole, Shanky. He could have easily snuck in and attacked Titus whenever he fucking wanted. But he didn’t.”

“Eugene’s got a point.”

“It also explains why he saved you. Werewolves are very possessive. In a way, you can say he’s just protecting what's his.”

“What’s his. That’s a funny way of puttin’ it.” He took another sip.

“T, this sounds serious. You don’t know what that guy can do. From what you said about him, eating other wolves and possibly killing his own pack… he sounds really dangerous."

“Relax, Al. He ain’t gonna do shit. Frankly, I feel pretty damn safe.”

“We should let Titus handle it. But we’ll be here if you need us. If he tries anything, we’ll be there in a sec. Just call us.”

* * *

The wolf did not show up that night. Nor the night after, or the next. Titus stood in front of the entrance to the large dense woods, his gun on his back and a can of beer in hand. The days passed, the wolf did not make his presence known. 

“Maybe he finally decided to fuck off.”

“Shut up, Shanky.”

Eugene placed a hand on Titus’s shoulder. “For all you know, this might be to protect you from himself. Regardless, he hasn’t been here. I don’t sense anything, no one has been here for days.”

“He’ll come back, eventually.”

Eugene nodded. “I’m sure he will.”

A week passed, then another, there were few attacks, but when the wolves came out of the forest, they came with a vengeance and a hunger for human flesh. There were some casualties, and a lot of people injured, some suffered life changing injuries like Titus. Their job was tough. Every death was on their hands but they had to live with that, otherwise they would go crazy. 

And then one night, while the darkness wore the crown of the night, there he was. His yellow eyes, bright in the pitch blackness, making Titus jump out of his bed, put on his leg, and rush to get his gun. By the time he reached the front door, the wolf was already there, bloodied and wounded. He’ll heal, Titus knew that. But he still looked like shit. Titus let him in quickly, peeked outside with his flashlight, checked for other wolves, and then closed and locked the door. He turned the lights on and he could see just how bad the blonde’s injuries were.

“The fuck happened?”

Glen groaned. A bleeding cut on his arm closed and Titus watched as the muscles and skin merged back together. When his arm as done healing, he moved it around, more grunts of pain escaping his lips.

“It was just a matter of time. Killed too many of ‘em.”

“What? The wolves? They attacked you?”

“What do you think?” He leaned forward, bending his chest to his knees as the gashes on his back healed. 

“Well, that tends to happen when you fuck over your own people.”

Glen glared at him, blood still dripping down his jaw and onto the floor beneath him.

“Now you can’t go back.”

“No, I can’t. I’m gonna find somewhere else.”

“You can stay here till then.”

“No! I can’t.”

Titus pulled up a chair, flipping it so that the back of it was facing the wolf while he sat on the other end with his legs on each side of the chair and his arms resting on the top rail. “Listen, I know about the whole… scent attraction thing.”

The wolf’s head shot up. “It’s not— I—“

“Relax. It’s fine. I know I’m irresistible,” He joked. “Really though, I don’t give a fuck. Glen.”

The wolf’s head dropped in shame. “You know why I can’t stay then. I’m going to get you in deep shit.”

“I’m already in deep shit. Besides, whether you’re here or not, the wolves will attack. They’ll attack this cabin and they’ll attack Martinaise. I get you can’t be around me for too long. But consider this trainin’.”

“You still don’t get it, do you? It’s not easy.”

“Yeah, well, nothin’ in life is easy so quit whinin’.”

The blonde sighed, running his hand through his golden hair. “Fine.”

“Good, you’re sleepin’ on the floor.”

“What?!”

“Yeah. Just turn into a wolf and sleep on the floor like a cat or whatever.”

Glen huffed. “We don't sleep in our wolf forms but whatever.”

The other man chuckled. “I was just pullin’ your leg. I got a sleepin’ bag.”

“I’ll pull your leg.” Glen mumbled under his breath. 

They set up the sleeping bag next to Titus’s bed. The hunter detached his prosthetic and set it next to them, he then laid down and turned to his side so he could watch the wolf wiggle into his bed. “Hey Glenny, can I call you that?”

“No."

“I’ll try not to do anythin’ to get you worked up, Glenny. Hardie promise.”

“Tch. You don’t really need to do anythin’ I can smell you regardless.”

“I mean like earlier. Tease you, or as you’d say, dangle my meat in front of you.”

The two chuckled. 

“This is stupid.”

“Sure is.”

“I mean bein’ here. It’s literally just outside the forest. It’s fuckin’ stupid. Why do you even live here?”

Titus rested on his back, hands behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. “This cabin used to be my dad’s. It’s where I learned how to hunt. I guess it just got some crappy sentimental value to me and shit. I don’t stay here much anyway. I’m in the city all day, just need a place to sleep and chill.”

The blonde nodded.

For a while, the only sound in the room was of Titus breathing and the crickets outside, along with the wind and the trees. But then Glen spoke, “you were right, I ate my pack” Titus looked at him, he didn’t say anything he let the wolf go on. “It was just me, my mom, and my old man. He was a piece of shit. A real fuckin’ cunt,” He didn’t need to say any more. Titus could already tell where this was going. “I killed him, yeah. I just fuckin’ snapped after he killed ma. I was hungry, we all were. And I was just so fuckin’ mad. He hurt me for years and, yeah, I healed, whatever. But at that moment, it still hurt. Year after year… I couldn’t fuckin’ take it. I could have just left but I was a pussy… I ended up on my own anyway.”

“I see.”

“I’m over it now.”

He wasn’t, not even close. He was still a monster, in more ways than one. His temper mixed in with his werewolf blood? They were the worst combo. He lost his innocence early, and it was replaced with this beast that hungers for blood and flesh. A violent thing… such a sad and miserable thing.

“I’m glad you told me, if that means anythin’ to ya.”

“Yeah, whatever.” The wolf turned to his side, giving his back to Titus.

“Well, goodnight, Glen.”

…

…

…

“Hey Hardie?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re not freaked out?”

“By what? I've already seen you tear wolves apart. Don't think there's much that can freak me out now."

“No. I mean...You know,” there was an awkward pause and then he added, “the thing.”

Titus shifted in his bed, Glen turned to look at him. “No, Glen. I’m not freaked out by the thing. I fucked men before. Never werewolves or vampires…” He thought for a moment. “Actually there was this one vampire chick I fucked.”

“I’m not gonna… do anythin’, just so you know.”

“I know, Glenny. You think I’d let you stay if I didn’t trust you?”

“You trust me?” He didn’t want to sound this enthusiastic about the question but it just slipped.

“Sure I do. We’re buds, ain’t we? I mean, I shared my beer with you and I let you hang out with the most important people in my life.”

No one has trusted him, let alone considered him a friend before. He couldn’t help but smile at that. 

“Thanks… and shit.. I don’t know.”

“No problem. Now you gonna let me sleep or we gonna stay up all night like last time?”

Glen closed his eyes, and as sleep took over him, he, for the first time, felt at peace. 


	6. Chapter 4

"So can you tell me how it works?"

"No. It's dumb."

"Still wanna hear it."

Glen ran his hand through his hair, ruffling it. A sigh escaped his lips. He knew Titus wasn't going to back down. "First of all, it's not what you probably think"

"I wasn't thinkin' anythin'."

Another sigh. "Fuck. It's so stupid and I don't even believe it myself." He leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest, nervously chewing on the cigarette between his lips. 

"Just spit it out."

He rolled his eyes. "It's not about sex. Or really not just sex."

"Uh-huh. Go on."

"It's supposed to be a sign... Or whatever. That you found your soulmate." 

Titus contained a laugh, all he allowed himself was a grin. "Soulmate?"

"I told you it's dumb!"

"No, no. It's not dumb," Glen was too busy trying to hide his face to respond so Titus went on. "Do you think it's true?"

"What? That we're soulmates? Didn't you hear what I just said? I said it's dumb and I don't believe in it," He toyed with his fingers and cleared his throat. "What about you?"

Titus shrugged. "We'll see, right? For now, wanna go out?"

The blonde blinked. "Go out?"

"Outside? For a walk?" He moved his prosthetic leg, swinging it back and forth. "I gotta keep this thing moving. Don't want it to rust and get stuck to the rest of my leg."

That was not how it worked but Titus thought it sounded funny regardless. 

"Oh. Yeah, sure." 

They took a walk around the woods, a dangerous thing to do. They both knew that. But it didn't stop them. "I used to go fishing with my old man," Titus pointed at a lake in the distance. "There. He had a boat and everything."

"What happened to him?"

Titus smiled, but there was a hint of sadness in his eyes, hidden underneath the shadow cast by his hat. "He got attacked by somethin' in the woods. It wasn't the first time. First time, some wolves clawed out his eye. He still hunted after that, with one eye, can you believe it?"

"Sounds like a stubborn fella."

"Yeah. Guess I got that from him. Anyway, the second time," he shrugged. "We don't know. We don't know if they werewolves or something in the water or whatever the fuck. All we know is it was vicious... my brother was just eleven. He shouldn't have seen that."

Glen nodded. He wasn't really good at consoling people. He was isolated all his life, communication wasn't his best trait. "Where's your brother now?"

"He's got a job and a family." 

"Ah. Alright."

"All things considered, It's good he found someone and settled. This life just ain't for him. Besides, this could have happened to him instead," He tapped on his prosthetic. "Glad it was me."

Glen couldn't relate. But he found it admirable anyway. 

"How are you feelin', by the way?"

"We heal quickly. I don't really feel anythin'."

"I don't mean that."

"Oh. Right. It's..." the wolf scratched his cheek. "Not as bad as I expected it to be. But I'm sure it'll get worse."

"Why would you think that?"

"Because I'm not in heat right now but I will be eventually. Then? Then you need to chain me and throw me in the basement if you have one. Lose the key, and don't open the door for at least a week." 

"Ah, right. Forgot about the whole... heat thing," there was an awkward pause and then Titus added. "Just for the record, if we do any fuckin', don't expect to top. I do the fuckin' around here."

Glen snorted. "Sorry, pal. The big bad wolf doesn't bottom." 

"Well, then the big bad wolf would have to fight me for the top spot."

A wicked grin stretched over the blonde's face. "Gladly."

Uh-oh. 

"So you fucked other dudes before?" Glen didn't respond. He was busy looking at nothing in particular. "No? If you don't answer I'm gonna take that as a no and call you a virgin." Titus laughed but stopped when he noticed the other man didn't say anything. Instead, he looked like he was in pain. Some form of anguish that Titus was oblivious to. "Hey, I was just kiddin', man."

"I didn't choose to be like this. I don't even want to be this."

He wasn't talking about being a werewolf. 

Titus smiled sympathetically and placed a hand on Glen's shoulder. "There's nothin' wrong with bein' queer." 

"Don't fuckin' say that!" The blonde snapped, slapping Titus's hand off. "You know damn well that ain't right. I get to be a fuckin' monster and a f*ggot."

There was little space to breathe between his words and the time it took Titus to clench his fist and punch the other man in the face. The wolf fell down from the force of the hit, hand covering his face. The cut on his cheek was already healing. 

"I fuckin' hate that word." 

Glen turned his head and spat before he lunged forward bringing Titus down to the ground. The two kicked and punched but it was easy for Glen to overpower a simple human as a half-wolf. His gigantic fist collides with Titus's face multiple times before he picked him up and flung him into the air, his back hit a tree, and then he was face down in the snow. Before he could even gather himself, Glen picked him up again and pinned him to the tree. "Don't make me snap your neck, Hardie."

"You won't do it."

His eyes were a burning ocean, turning from blue to yellow. "Don't make me fuckin mad." A silent 'please.' Hung in his throat. He didn't want to hurt the other man. He really didn't.

Titus brought his hand up and put it over Glen's own. His hand was small in comparison. 

"It's alright, Glenny." 

He wasn't sure if he was referring to what started the fight or if it was alright to snap his neck. Regardless, his voice was calm and very friendly. Glen felt himself calm down, and as he did, his form changed back to that of a human and he released his prey from his grip. 

"Atta boy." 

He helped the man up and Titus dusted the snow off his clothes. "I'm sorry." It was a whisper, hushed, and carried by the wind. Titus pretended he didn't hear it but smiled nonetheless.

"Shit. I gotta get back for the usual meeting with the boys." He kicked his metallic leg, shaking some of the snow out of the machinery. "Wanna come with?"

Glen shoved his hands in his pockets and then shook his head. "Nah. I'll hang back here. Someone has to watch over the cabin while you're gone."

"Yeah, and shed fur all over my shit. And drink all my beer."

"Exactly." 

"As long as you don't pee anywhere to mark your territory."

Glen playfully punched him on the arm. The two laughed. 

* * *

"You're letting him stay with you?!"

"Yep."

"T! That's the opposite of what you should be doing right now!"

"Calm down, Alain. It's fine."

"Fine? He threw you against a tree. On the first day." 

"Just boys gettin' rowdy. Nothin' to bust a nerve over." 

"I don't get it," Alain sighed and placed his hands on his hips. "You trust him way too much."

"How can we bring people together if we don't give them a chance? We trusted Eugene. We got somethin' good out of it."

Alain was silent after that. 

"I talked to him, you know, somethin' we should be doin'. Talkin'. It's not always guns up. Fists swingin'. We came to an understanding. He ain't gonna eat me. He's ain't gonna fuck me in my sleep. He ain't gonna do shit. It's not about that. Actually..." Titus took a sip of his drink. "I was thinkin' we could use a werewolf in our pack."

Groans filled the room. "There it fucking is. I knew it."

"We can't let that queer wolf in."

"Shanky," Titus looked at his companion. "Remember that boxer with the scar over his eye? The one with the naked lady tattoo?"

"Yeah?"

"I fucked him. Remember the big guy with the missin' finger? Fucked him too. I probably fucked every guy in that locker room except you. I fuck dudes, I fuck chicks, I'll fuck whoever the fuck I want. You got a problem with that?"

Shanky shook his head.

"Anyone in this room got a problem with that?" His voice was like thunder in the small room. No one had anything to say in response so they all just shook their heads. "Good. Glad that's done with," he crushed the beer can and threw it behind him. "Can't even fuckin' accept people how are we gonna fuckin' bring anyone together?" It was a mumble. He was really just talking to himself rather than his fellow men. "Anyway, be nice to him. He might just end up savin' your asses one day. And nobody bring up this shit with him. We don't talk about it here, got that? This whole soulmate business is between me and him and we're workin' it out." 

The room nodded. 

"Good. Thank you. I know y'all just tryin'a look out for me and I appreciate it, but really, I got this. Now, any real updates? Gimme somethin' good."

"No real news from the old house yet. But Eugene and I are keeping an eye on it. Aside from that, there have been a few problems. For starters, people are saying that their loved ones are going missing. We think there might be some vampires abducting people. So far, no leads. We're still looking into it."

"Shit, man. Put that on our priority list. Eugene said anything about it?"

Alain shook his head. "We're gonna stay in the city at night today, see if he can find anything." 

"Good. Anything else?"

"Yeah. Just a group of protesters that are getting very rallied up. Some people want to take matters into their own hands, hunt vampires and werewolves. They're kids mostly, they don't know any better." 

"Yeah, well, those are the ones you gotta watch out for. They got no fear, also no brains. I don't like to think that we need to cut off the forest completely to keep everyone from going in or out. That should be our last resort but I got the feelin' we're gettin' there. My cabin should be as far as people go. No wolf should pass it, no human should go further than that."

"We'll figure something out. We always do."

"Yeah, let's hope we do that sooner rather than later." 

* * *

"You told them what?!"

"That we could use a werewolf in our group? Havin' Eugene was a big step up. I think havin' a werewolf would also help. That way we can show people that we can all really work together."

"People don't even know that your vampire is a fuckin' vampire!"

"One step at a time."

"Face it. That ain't happenin'. I don't wanna be a part of your little Hardie crew. Y'all gonna have me on a god damn leash."

"No one is gonna put you on a leash. Okay? Just think about it. Won't it be better than you just bein' on your own?"

"You already know I prefer it that way."

"Yeah, until the whole soulmate thing pulled ya out of the woods. Now we're bound or whatever the fuck."

Glen rolled his eyes. "We're not bound or any shit. I'm not gonna believe someone is my mate because..."

"Because your dick said so?"

"No. Because the moon said so or, fuckin', I don't know. I haven't paid attention to the werewolf 101 classes."

"Anyway, since you're stayin' here for a bit this can be a trial period. If you like bein' a Hardie then cool, if not, then no pressure."

"Oh yeah, try to be nice to folks who wanna stick pitchforks in me. Sounds real nice."

"We also hang around and drink beer. And you get to fight other beasts for a good reason."

The blonde blinked then scratched the back of his head. "That doesn't sound too bad actually."

"Exactly."

He hesitated but then shrugged. "Fine. I'll give it a try. It don't mean shit though."

"You know, me and the boys have been doin' this for a while now. Like years."

"Does it pay off?"

Titus shrugged. "We get to skip work and still get paid. The city loves us... mostly. And we get to drink for free. Guess that's a good pay off."

"Why even start somethin' so stupid?"

"I didn't. This group was actually started by our old man, Theo. Don't let his looks fool you, that man is tough. He could probably kick your ass."

Glen laughed mockingly. "I doubt it."

"Underestimatin' him would be your first mistake. Anyway, one day he was at the Whirling, where we all met, and he was tellin' people how we gotta stop bein' afraid, right?" For a moment, Titus had a distant look, as though he was reliving the events in his head. "I was just mindin' my own business. Talkin' up this chick. Tryin'a get laid. But I thought his speech was pretty interesting. He kind of reminds me of my dad. Tough guy, always doin' his best and expectin' everyone to do their best too. Heard he saved some folks from bein' eaten by vampires. Killed 'em himself. I had a lot of respect for him, so I thought, sure. What could possibly go wrong? At that time, Alain had just arrived at Martinaise. He had some old ghosts to run away from. He thought this would be a nice new change for him. Angus was a bright kid, wanted to help out. Shanky... well, I think Shanky is just in it for the free booze and publicity. Then we met Eugene. Some folks were sayin' there were vampires up this one house. We decided to make peace with 'em instead of kill 'em. They just wanted to be left alone. Kind of like you."

Glen rolled his eyes. "Fuck off."

Titus ignored him and went on. "Alain became good friends with Eugene. I guess at the time he related to being an outcast. Sadly, those days are long behind him and he can't find that same sympathy for you."

"I don't need no one's sympathy."

"But he'll warm up to you. I know the guys are just worried and bein' protective. They're good friends," he leaned forward to rest his chin on his hand. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"I don't know. Tell me somethin' about you."

He shrugged. "Not much to say."

"Come on," he took out his pack of cigarettes and handed one to Glen before lighting his own, tipping his chair forward so he could press the tip of his cigarette to Glen's so it would light his before he leaned back. "There's gotta be somethin' you can tell me."

Glen inhaled, the front of his cig lighting up as he thought. "Grew up an angry wolf 'cause daddy was mean," his tone of voice was degrading, making fun of himself and his father. "Was aggressive to other wolves, didn't have any friends..." He paused. His expression was indifferent but Titus could tell he was thinking about something painful. "Got into a lot of fights, killed my first wolf when I was fifteen. I just didn't want other wolves to... think I'm queer."

"You mean to know you're queer."

Another long pause as Glen filled his lungs with more smoke then a weak, "yeah," escaped his lips with the grey clouds. "Eventually other wolves distanced themselves from me. It felt good to be feared. I felt strong."

"But not for long, huh?"

Glen glanced at him. He didn't respond.

"You never answered my question from before."

"What?"

"Did you ever fuck another guy?"

Glen exhaled the smoke from his cigarette mixed in with Titus's own. The smell stuck to the cabin walls. "Yeah. I did. It was mostly a one-night thing."

"Gettin' the aggression out. I get it." 

"Rugby helped too."

"Oh yeah," the man grinned. "I totally get that." 

"Lemme guess, you're the fly-half?"

"You know your rugby, Mr. Prop." 

Another drag of smoke. "You seem like the big man, and you always call the shots."

"Damn right. Natural born leader."

"Alright. No one likes a guy who sucks his own dick."

"I don't need to suck my own dick. I got chicks to do that." 

No one likes a guy who sucks his own dick but most people love a hero who is also a rugby star. 

The two put out their cigarettes and then it was time for Titus to rest his leg. He reached for the straps and undid them, and with a click, the silicon, plastic, and metal hugging his leg let go. 

Glen watched as his buddy rubbed the stump, a content sigh leaving his lips. "You know what part really sucks about this?"

"Aside from having a metal leg?"

"Showers. Can't shower with it on. Can't shower with it off. I used to just take a dip in the lake outside but can't even do that no more. If I fall in the shower, don't ask, just come in." He chuckled before putting his prosthetic back on. "Anyway, time for a shower."

This would be a good time to ask if he needs help, but Glen doesn't for two reasons; 1, Titus Hardie doesn't need anyone's help. 2, it's kind of awkward to ask a guy if he needs help showering. Regardless, the blonde watched the hunter disappear into the bathroom and waited to hear a thud. It never came. Instead, after a while, Titus popped his out of the bathroom holding a shaving razor. He gestured for Glen to come over and the wolf hesitated but complied. 

The bathroom was a little cramped, especially with two men their size filling the space, But they managed. It was hard for Glen to ignore the fact that the other man had nothing on but a towel. Being this close to him was a bad idea but those thoughts had to be put on pause when Titus gave him a bowl with foamy white cream which he quickly recognized as shaving cream. Titus had already put the cream on and it was the wolf's turn. "Shave those ungodly sideburns you got growin'. They look like shit." 

Glen huffed but when Titus reached forward to move the long golden hair to one side, the man did not protest. He studied the man's movement carefully as he searched the small cabinet next to his mirror for something to tie Glen's hair in. He found a rubber-band which he used to close a bag with and shrugged. It'll do. After that he let the wolf shave in peace while he went to get dressed. 

They met back in the living room, Titus smiling at the freshly shaved face of his companion. It made him look cleaner. Less like an animal. He reached out and placed a hand on the side of Glen's head, finger gently caressing his cheek. "Look at you. You clean up nice. Maybe I can convince you to shower next."

There was a subtle tilt in the blonde's head, trying to press his face closer to the hunter's palm. 

Titus's smile widened and he brought his finger closer to the wolf's lips until Glen parted them and bit down gently on the finger in his mouth. Whether it was a threat or a playful gesture, Titus wasn't sure. But he didn't pull away, just to feed his curiosity. 

A low animalistic rumble filled the silence between them. Titus could feel Glen slowly pushing down on his finger but still not biting harshly. His tongue pressed against the skin. To Glen, it was a taste of heaven. His prey came to him and put the meat right in his mouth. He could chomp down on it, sever it. He could have it. Yet, he only allowed himself this... only this. Only a taste. 

He released the finger from his teeth's grip and turned his head away, then there was nothing after. Nothing for a long time. He wasn’t sure what to say so he was glad when Titus finally said something. “Now that you look like a regular guy, you can go into the city tomorrow.”

“You think it’s as easy as just shaving’?”

Titus thought for a moment. “Well, you like beer, you’re loud, aggressive, ready to pick a fight,” he tapped on his chin. “I’d say you’d fit in with the folks just fine.”

“You know just how fucked you’ll be when they find out.”

“So long as you don’t stand on the table and yell out ‘Look at me, I’m a werewolf.’ But I think even then everyone would be too drunk and they’d just laugh at you. “

“I’ll just eat ‘em then.”

“Don’t. Or I’m gonna have to get a water spray and spray you with it every time you misbehave.”

“You threatenin’ me with a water bottle?”

“You prefer the collar?”

“Oh, so you are threatenin’ me!"

Titus chuckled. “I’m just kiddin’. You be good and I won’t have to use anythin’ on you.”

“That is a threat, Hardie.”

Titus only hummed in response. He walked up to one of the small tables in the corner of the room and grabbed the radio from on top of it. "What kind of music do you like?"

Glen shrugged. "I don't know. Rock? Heavy Metal?"

Titus turned on the radio. It started playing some country music before he switched the channel. "I don't know about metal but rock is good." He set it down and let the music fill the silence. He snapped his finger to the song about some guy who thinks he owns the world and how he hates everyone but he'll still fuck some chicks because that's the rockstar life. Not the most romantic thing, but somehow it was easy for him to dance to. The metal from his foot was heavy against the wooden floor, it creaked beneath him but he paid it no mind as he approached the other man who was looking at him with confusion and curiosity. 

He put his hand out, offering it to Glen who only laughed at how ridiculous this was. "Come on, don't you wanna dance to some misery rock?"

"Misery rock?"

"Yeah. Do rockers ever sing about anything but heartache, chicks, and booze?"

Another chuckle. "Fuck, man. Alright. Whatever." 

He took Titus's hand and the slightly shorter man pulled him towards him. They moved their feet to the beat, snapping their fingers, humming along to the music. They twirled, their heavy footsteps kicking the wood beneath them. Titus boogied to the fridge and grabbed some beer for himself and his dance partner. He tossed him the can and with a howl. They cracked it open and chugged down the cold drink. Song after song, can after can until Titus felt the pressure of metal pressing against what remained of his leg. The sound of their laughter overpowered the music, even the mechanical sound coming from the prosthetic became nothing but background static. They were drunk (or rather, Titus was), and high on fun. When the song ended, it ended with the grande finale of Glen’s hand on Titus’s back as he leaned forward and Titus bent back. Their other hand tangled together. The ground around them was now littered with beer cans.

“What the fuck are you guys doing?”

The two turned to the door where Eugene now stood. His expression was calm, or perhaps disapproving. The two weren’t sure. Regardless, Glen quickly pushed himself away from Titus.

“Just havin’ some fun. Gotta keep the leg movin’ and all.”

“Uh-huh.” Eugene glanced at Glen for some time then turned to look at Titus.

“You just gonna stand there or you gonna tell us why you’re here?”

Eugene closed the door. "I was just checking on you but seems like I don't have to."

Titus turned off the radio then looked at the two men awkwardly staring at each other before he stepped in the middle. "Ladies, ladies. Calm down. No catfighting in the cabin." 

Eugene went on, "also wanted to let you know that someone else just went missing."

Titus's expression shifted, losing all playfulness and becoming serious. "Tell me you got somethin'."

"A witness. Sadly it was too dark for them to really give us anything useful."

"Shit. Any connections between the people going missing?"

"Not as far as we know."

"No bodies?"

"None."

Titus crossed his arms over his chest and lowered his head. The two let him think. When he lifted his head, he looked at Glen. "Wanna check it out? Maybe you'll be able to find something we can't."

Glen sighed. Fuck. He really didn't want to get involved. 

"Come on, Glenny." 

Another pause followed by another sigh. "Fine."

Titus grinned and slapped Glen on the back. "That's the spirit!" He then turned his attention to Eugene. "Lead the way."

Traversing through the snow was even worse at night. God damn it, Titus should really get to shoveling this shit tomorrow... or something.

"You ever been to the city?"

"A few times. Never stayed for long."

"So you guys got your own society built up in the forest or what?"

"Not really. But we make due." 

Titus nodded. 

Eugene led them further into the city. Everyone was asleep. The city was quiet. The only sound was their feet against the snow. 

And then finally, just on the outskirts, a single drop of blood stained the white ground. 

"Glen, the floor is yours."

Glen knelt down and examined the scene. He inhaled. The smell of death filled his nose. He followed it further into the outskirts till a river became visible to their right. He walked along the river then stopped. 

"Anythin'?"

Another sniff and then Glen rubbed his nose. "You're looking for a human."

"You sure?"

The wolf nodded. "Male. I'd say maybe in his late thirties, early forties." 

"Now we know why Eugene wasn't sensing anything out of the ordinary. He must have covered his tracks."

"Not well enough." 

Titus turned his flashlight towards the river. "Guess he dumped the bodies here. They either floated away, or he sunk them. Get some extra hands from our boys at the docks." He turned to his vampire companion.

"Evrart is not gonna like that."

"No, Gene. He won't."

Glen blinked. "Who's Evrart?"

"The big boss. He probably already knows you're here. He's got eyes and ears everywhere. Don't worry though, he doesn't give a shit as long as you don't cause trouble." 

Glen snorted. "You humans really are paranoid."

"Eugene, call the boys first thing in the morning. I'll meet them at the docks. If you can't be here, we'll brief you later. For now, you can either go home or try to find if we missed anythin'. I'm gonna try to get some sleep in me before mornin'."

"Yeah. Don't stay up partying and dancing. Both of you."

And with that, the hunter and his werewolf companion retreated back to the cabin. 

"See? That wasn't so bad. Think you did pretty good. Maybe you're meant to be a Hardie."

The wolf only growled as a response. 

"If we find any bodies tomorrow, that would be very helpful. Gonna need you there with us." He sat down on the bed and took off his shoes and prosthetic before he proceeded to unbutton his shirt. Glen watched him as he did.

The skin was tempting. He had to turn his back to the sight before him, and instead, he focused on getting into his sleeping bag.

There was a lot of work waiting for him tomorrow. 


End file.
